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| Artwork designed by Jonny Ashton (@JonnyAshy on Twitter) |
As you can probably guess from the headline those teams are Wigan Warriors and Wigan Athletic and that town is Wigan. Wigan is a small town in the north-west of England, 17 miles from Manchester, 18 miles from Liverpool (as the crow flies) and with a population of about 80,000.
Both teams in Wigan are in the top division of their respected leagues. Apart from London, our capital city, which boasts having a number of different football clubs and one rugby league club in the top division, no other city, never mind town achieves this.
I’m very proud to say that I have been brought up and live in Wigan. When I go on holiday and people ask me where I’m from I don’t say I live near Manchester or I live near Liverpool, I tell them I live in Wigan. Heaven forbid that they don’t know where Wigan is. They make reference to either the football or the rugby league team. Most are surprised when I tell them there is actually two teams in Wigan.
I support and am very proud of both teams in Wigan. I know of only a handful of people who support both teams also. Why the hatred of the other team? I don’t get it. Football and rugby league are two completely different sports. Fair enough if you don’t like the other sport but don’t hate your own towns team because of this. Wishing them to lose every game against a team that is miles and miles from Wigan town.
Their isn’t that many of us in this small working class town in Lancashire. We should of stick together and support both teams through thick and thin.
A few of me mates who have also been born and brought up in Wigan all their lives and support Wigan Warriors also “support” Liverpool, Newcastle United, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Manchester United, to name but a few football clubs, what’s all that about? I doubt they have ever been to a football match at Anfield, St James Park, Highbury / Emirates, White Hart Lane, Maine Road / Etihad, Old Trafford. The so called City “fans” probably thought Maine Road is a busy road that you have to look both ways before you cross.
I’m sick and tired of the arguments between both sets of supporters about attendances, season ticket holders, going to semi-finals and finals, being successful, that Wigan is a rugby town, that Wigan is a football town, arguments about the DW Stadium. Can’t people just be happy that we have two successful teams in one town? We are very lucky to live in Wigan with two top flight teams, Wigan Athletic and Wigan Warriors are both Wigan teams, they should both be respected in the same way. It would be brilliant if you could buy one season ticket that allowed you to go to all the home matches at the DW Stadium for both Wigan Athletic and Wigan Warriors. I would love 20,000 Wiganers (a quarter of the towns population) to come together to celebrate and support our towns teams at the DW Stadium on a weekly basis, especially when the rugby and the football seasons overlap.
Instead of hating your own towns team, put your dislike into their local arch rivals, Bolton Wanderers FC or St Helens RL, much more fun in my book.
This article was written before the Wigan Athletic v Manchester City FA Cup final, but regardless of the result (hopefully Wigan won) as a Wiganer and a Latics fan I was very proud to see Wigan Athletic make the final, for the first time in their 81 year history, of the oldest and most famous football competition in the world.
Regarding Wigan Athletic reaching the FA Cup Final Ian Lenagan (Wigan Warriors owner and chairman) said on BBC radio Manchester “Wigan is not a rugby town or a football town, it’s a Wigan town. We stick together.”
I hope that every Warriors fan and Wiganer supported Latics on their historical day on Saturday 11th May 2013 and stuck together. Hopefully it’s the minority that wanted Wigan Athletic to lose and were glad that they lost the coin toss so they had to play in black for the final “to save getting changed for the funeral march home” someone wrote on twitter.
Kris Radlinski, former Wigan Warriors fullback himself tweeted on Wigan Athletics reaching the FA Cup Final “What an achievement by the Latics. This crazy little town cracks me up. I love being a Wiganer!! Areet mon!!”. I couldn’t of said it better myself. Hopefully Wigan Warriors fans take both those sentiments to heart and support Wigan Athletic not just in the final, not just in the upcoming matches to save them from relegation but forever more.
In how many other teams are their chairman from their own home towns? I can’t think of many, never mind two from the same town as both Dave Whelan and Ian Lenagan are. I know of some people who won’t support Wigan Athletic as long as Whelan is their chairman. How can your hatred of one man stop you from supporting your own home town team? I suppose it was the same for Latics fans when Maurice Lindsay was the chairman of Wigan Rugby League, but one mans comments shouldn’t count for every Wigan rugby league fan. And it’s the same for Dave Whelan, his comments don’t count for every Wigan Athletic fan. Lets not forget that Dave Whelan was also Wigan Warriors chairman not such a long time ago also.
I know in the past wedges have been driven between the two teams, it felt that you couldn’t and you shouldn’t support both teams but lets not look to the past, lets look to the future and get behind both teams in their own search for success. You can support both teams in Wigan, you won’t get penalised for it or pelted with stones if the other supporters find out. It’s not wrong, don’t feel dirty, be proud as I am, put your hand up, shout if from the rooftops, do whatever you feel comfortable with, just do it.
2 teams + 1 town = proud WIGANERS!
*** This article first appeared in issue 42 of Mudhutter Football Express (a Wigan Athletic fanzine). You can follow Mudhutter Football Express on twitter @mudhutter and purchase the fanzine here :- www.mudhutter.co.uk ***
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